Naughty List, Uncheck. Review: Grimm – “Twelve Days of Krampus”

Season 3, Episode 8 (part 2 of the mid-season finale)

Air Date: Friday, December 13, 2013 at 9/8c on NBC.

Rating: ★★★★★

“O Christmas Tree,

O Christmas Tree,

How steadfast are your branches?”

— Grimm

You do not want to be on the naughty list…ever!

Now “Twelve Days of Krampus” is what I call a helluva mid-season finale! Filled with mystery, drama, humor, and holiday cheer and fear, “Twelve Days of Krampus” will make you want to stay in, snuggle up, and stay the hell off Krampus’ naughty list…forever.

As David Giuntoli, who plays Det. Nick Burkhardt, said in a conference call, the story of Krampus has been a long time coming. I think they’ve done an excellent job, and boy did they get the right mix of actor and make-up artistry together to create one scary dude. The horns alone are freakish but his voice…when Krampus (Derek Mears) says, “You’ve been naughty,” it sends chills down my spine.

The Resistance

I want to quickly dive into what’s happening over in Vienna before I dish up a heaping pile of Krampus for you. Sean (Sasha Roiz) is there to have a meeting with other, shall I say, rebellious Wesen who oppose the current royal ruler. Is it me or does Sean and the resistance leader Hans (Bernhard Forcher) have a bro-mantic moment?

Hans: “It’s good to meet someone who hates your family as much as I do.”

Sean: “It’s good to meet someone who’s not afraid to say that to my face.”

Simmer down, boys. There are more important things to discuss, like taking down the royal family. Don’t you find it interesting when Sean mentions, “…I have a Grimm…” during the meeting? I wonder how Nick is going to feel about this.

Later, Sean pays a visit to Adalind’s (Claire Coffee) room…while she’s away, of course. He finds something that makes his Hexenbiest side cringe. That jar of bloody goo Adalind’s been rubbing on her belly makes me want to hurl. Why does Sean leave a note for Adalind? Does he want to help her or is he trying to woo her into joining the resistance? I’m not sure what Sean’s endgame is regarding Adalind but I know he doesn’t want her to be Prince Viktor’s (Alexis Denisof) pawn any longer.

Christmas-y

It’s a wonderful time of year and Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) is so excited to celebrate his first Christmas with Rosalee (Bree Turner), he’s enlisted Juliette’s (Bitsie Tulloch) help to secretly decorate the house. Unfortunately, something tragic from Rosalee’s past has tainted her view of Christmas. I felt so bad for Monroe. Here he thought he was doing this amazing gesture, sharing ALL his Christmas décor and poor Rosalee is still mourning a loss. I wanted to yell at my TV and say it happened so long ago, but when tragedy occurs during a holiday, it can stay with you a very long time. And granted “42 boxes” of decorations is a bit much. But I love when people decorate like that. I enjoy driving around town and looking at all the Christmas lights and elaborately adorned houses. As an aside, I’m loving Turner’s new hair style – she is rocking those bangs.

Naughty List

You know part of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” that goes, “you better not cry, you better not pout?” For Krampus, it should go, “you better not steal anything or Krampus will beat you and eat you.” “Twelve Days of Krampus” isn’t for little ones under the age 10 because it may scare the eggnog out of them. This guy is no joke and I love it! The make-up department does an amazing job creating a fearsome creature with a growl that will make your nails split. As a witness states, the guy he saw stuffing a kid into a sack looked like, “my worse drug-crazed, acid-induced flashback nightmare.”

As Nick and Hank (Russell Hornsby) continue to search for missing (naughty) kids, they turn, as they so often do, to Monroe for assistance. Maybe it’s me, but Nick doesn’t hang out with Monroe too much outside of working together on cases. I have a feeling this is going to put a strain on their friendship. I wouldn’t say Nick is using Monroe outright but he is using him in a way. I just hope Nick figures out how valuable Monroe is both as a friend and Grimm confidant.

Random Thoughts

It was nice seeing Bud (Danny Bruno). He hasn’t been on the show in a while. I adore his frantic neurosis. When the son of a friend goes missing, Bud is there to help. He’s like the comic relief even when you don’t know you need it.

Are all the doctors in Portland rude and dismissive? The doctor from “Stories We Tell Our Young” was rude too. What happened to bedside manner?

Overall

“Twelve Days of Krampus” is a great mid-season finale and holiday themed episode. Not everything is so jolly this time of year. Darkness and evil lurk and there’s nothing like the holidays to bring out thieves and ruffians to spoil our holiday cheer. “Twelve Days of Krampus” is a wonderful blend of light and dark, happy and menacing.

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas.

Grimm will return Friday, January 3, 2014.

For more on the show, go to the official site.

Like Grimm on Facebook.

Follow Grimm on Twitter @NBCGrimm.

Follow these cast members on Twitter: @russellhornsby, @mistergiuntoli, @BitsieTulloch, @sasharoiz, and @MrReggieLee.

Biography of the Author(Read Below)..
Latest Posts (view them )..

Judy Manning

Dream chaser extraordinaire! Judy tends to be a tad sarcastic and kind of goofy! She is an avid admirer of all things supernatural, paranormal, celestial and mystical. She loves to read, write, and watches way too much TV. She enjoys many genres of film and music (and let's be honest, most music from the 80s). She also has a wicked sweet tooth. Cupcakes beware.